Moving On
by Kyoka-BOO
Summary: It wasn't the end; it was the beginning. Spoilers for the end of the series; TezuFuji


**This is your final warning. There are spoilers in here for THE END OF THE SERIES, otherwise mentioned as GENIUS 379. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE CHAPTER AND YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPOILERS, DON'T READ IT. I repeat, I am writing the outcome, and I mean outcome of matches for ****the end of the series.**

Wow.

I did have to write this, yes. Because something that wasn't covered is something I really wanted to see. So, I wrote it instead, and since I didn't see it in the manga I get to put my own little TezukaxFuji spin on it.

Those who have been talking to me, especially lately will be surprised that Echizen isn't dead in here. Surprisingly, I've managed to suppress my hatred for him and write him without bias. For now…

All disclaimers apply. Only a few concepts and the element of the plot are mine. The characters are not.

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**Moving On**

The euphoria was settling slowly but surely. Tezuka stood at the edge of the crowd by his team, his arms folded sternly across his chest while Fuji and Inui snickered and whispered things off to the side. Fuji surveyed the video camera that Inui had in hand and began laughing, and he gave the prodigy a stern look as he leaned close to Inui's ear and whispered something, and then looked at Tezuka with his glittering blue eyes. Fuji gave him a certain look while the rest of the team surrounded Echizen. Their gaze wasn't broken until Kikumaru, still very giddy from Seigaku's victory, nearly knocked Fuji over when he threw his arms around the prodigy's shoulders.

"Burning!" Kawamura yelled as he held a racket in the air, "Let's celebrate."

"Yeah!"

They dragged him back to Kawamura's sushi restaurant still surrounded by a cloud of joy after changing and making their way out into the evening sun. Their elation was seeping into the cracks in the sidewalk, so much that even a few passersby stared as the passed. When the group flooded into the restaurant, Kawamura's parents were waiting with smiles on their face and, presented with a large tray of sushi and tea, Tezuka was able to fall back into the corner away from the noise and contemplate. The noise was giving him a headache, and he was sure that he heard Eiji moaning in the distance because he'd accidentally gotten hold of a piece of Fuji's extra-spicy sushi.

"Tezuka?"

The soft voice interrupted his solitude and his focus was broken when a smiling Fuji sat down next to him and slid an extra cup of tea and plate of sushi in front of him. His back was straight and stiff as always, but Fuji relaxed within his presence, placing his chin on his hand and smiling softly.

"Fuji."

Fuji was drinking tea as well, and smiling widely. "You should join the celebration, buchou. Your team misses you." Tezuka glanced over his shoulders to the group. Momoshiro and Kaidoh were arguing in a corner; Eiji was practically strangling a disgruntled Echizen with hugs while Nanjiroh watched his son try and escape, amused. Kawamura helped his parents clean up the dishes and set more plates of sushi on the table and the other first years, Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro were conversing quietly at the empty end of the table occupied by most of the regulars. It looked like they were discussing games. Horio had his hands on his hips and was proudly looking at the two first-years. He looked to be bragging, again, and now that the excitement had died down and Tezuka could retire slightly from his role as captain, he was slightly amused. The events continued, undisturbed. They didn't even see Tezuka looking back at them.

Tezuka took a sip of tea as well. "They're fine." Fuji looked back at the scene and laughed fluidly.

"You're always like that, Tezuka."

Tezuka lowered his head and tentatively and took a bite out of sushi. He didn't know how Fuji was able to do it. He tolerated wasabi on his sushi. In fact, despite his mild appearance he was able to stomach very spicy food. However, when he took a bite out of this, he felt tears begin to surfaces on his eyes that he held back suddenly. He dropped the sushi back on the tray and took a deep drink of tea. His mouth and eyes still burned. Fuji didn't laugh, but he chuckled, looking thoroughly amused by his shock. The sound pierced his ears through the burning haze.

For a moment, he felt Fuji's fingertips brush over the back of his hands, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, somebody interrupted. "Tezuka-buchou! Fuji-senpai!" Echizen called. "We're having a toast!" Before Tezuka could say anything, Fuji's hand slipped over his wrist and pulled him straight into the middle of the crowd, who all seemed anxious to see him, muttering "Buchou," and patting his shoulder, considering they had their time to congratulate Echizen and he had been sitting in the corner for the entire time.

They held their glasses high, and for a moment, Tezuka briefly regarded his memories. Vivid flashbacks passed his eyes; he remembered his first year, Yamato-buchou, running laps with his seniors and bravely standing up to their challenges. He remembered standing next to Fuji on the court with a broom in hand… alone. Until now, he never learned the full value of his memories, nor the value that they would have in his heart—that he wouldn't only look forward, but look back and then realize that this was one of the last times they would probably stand together like this, laughing and having fun while he watched over them sternly. He would never stand on the courts again and watch as Momoshiro and Kaidoh fought and have to assign them laps, or Inui's target practice and intense methods of punishment via his vegetable health drinks. He certainly wouldn't forget the time that he gagged because Fuji switched his water bottle with a bottle of one of Inui's most powerful juices. (Fuji had to do two hundred laps around the court for the remainder of practice after that.) It all seemed so important back then—monumentally important, and Tezuka, lost among his serious, stern haze, forgot about all the friendship he'd gained all the way. He'd never noticed so many things—such fierce loyalty… such hard work… such tender love… so intense…

He realized how much he loved Seigaku.

"Tezuka," Fuji mentioned to him, and he realized that he was the only one that hadn't raised his cup of tea. Slowly, he brought it up. "Seigaku! Fight-o, fight-o, fight-o!" Even Tezuka joined in on the chant this time, though his face was considerably sterner than his team members. They all brought their cups down and laughed. Eiji had constricted his arms around Oishi's neck and refused to let go even though Oishi was beginning to blush.

"Buchou!" Echizen was calling for him, his characteristic smirk curling around his lips. Despite the gravitational pull towards Fuji, he stepped out and followed Echizen. The boy smiled wildly and proud. He expected Tezuka to say something, with that look on his face, and slowly, clearing his throat, Tezuka answered.

"You did well as Seigaku's pillar of support."

The smile on Echizen's face was proud, almost self-confident. "You too, buchou. Good luck." He held out his hand for Tezuka to shake and Tezuka took it. He knew already that Echizen planned on returning to America. The boy mentioned it earlier in the evening—he remembered Eiji lamenting about how it would be different without "oochibi" before he remembered he was beginning high school next year as it was.

"Don't let your guard down!"

Echizen nodded.

It was almost like they were swept rapidly away by a hastening tide. Tezuka drifted towards Fuji and Echizen returned to his father, who was ruffling his hair (after taking off his cap) and talking to him. Echizen looked disdained and Tezuka could clearly see his lips for the word "Oyaji!" Fuji tapped him on the shoulder with a wicked smile on his face; he obviously was not pleased about being ignored. Tezuka nearly jumped at the touch, but Fuji handed him a slip of paper. He didn't even think to look at it. He only held it. "It's my e-mail address. So we can keep in touch." Fuji's lips formed a light, tender smile. Tezuka nodded, then looked down and before he realized it, ripped a small piece of paper off the part Fuji had given him, took the pen from Fuji's fingers, written his e-mail address on the paper, and shove the pen and the paper into Fuji's fingers. He looked pleased.

"Don't forget."_Don't surrender your memories._

"I'll miss you," Fuji said on a tender note. If the words struck a chord in Tezuka's heart, he was good at hiding it.

"Ah," he said softly, though he was truly at a loss for words under the gentle pressure of Fuji's gaze—He could see the mischievous sparkle of his eyes beneath his closed eyelids and treasured it. He never realized how special Fuji truly was. His heart thrummed with the sweet feeling, something stronger than the immense pride that he felt when he looked upon his team, talking amongst each other and enjoying some of their last moments together. Fuji was tugging him in the direction of the corner, and the hand that held his felt too warm to ignore. He would put up with Fuji's antics one last time.

"I just wanted to tell you one last thing," Fuji murmured. Tezuka blinked, his glasses glaring in the dim light of the restaurant. Fuji's hand loosened and then tightened around his wrist and faster than he was able to comprehend, Fuji was eye-level with him, standing on tiptoe, smiling, and then leaning in and kissing him. When Fuji pulled away he was able to feel the smile that curled once again across Fuji's lips, almost like Echizen's. His face heated a degree. They were standing at such an angle and in such a place, he realized, that nobody would see unless the stepped directly over and looked. Of course, Fuji made sure of that. He was still dizzy, though. His senses buzzed madly. Fuji was intoxicating and his memories were brewing. He remembered now, standing outside the clubhouse one evening during their second year; Fuji's arms wrapped around him and he felt the weight of the boy against his chest, but murmured, 'This is improper.'

The smile, wicked and cunning curled across Fuji's lips again when Tezuka leaned down despite himself and caught Fuji's lips in return in a gentle, gentle gesture that left Fuji rather pleased, but made Tezuka blush because it was foreign, because this was a new sensation that brought forth new emotions and new excitement. He was jittery. He wanted to kiss Fuji more, to see more of that smile. His fingers rested on Fuji's cheek when he pulled away to listen to Fuji's soft, uneven breathing. Fuji was in his arms for a fraction of a second, and for the second time that day, he felt a soft, faint smile twitching on the corners of his lips. Fuji laughed softly on the corner of his ear, his breath ticking him.

"I'm really going to miss you..."

Tezuka realized something. Seigaku would always be in his heart; he would always remember the things that he felt; he felt strength… he felt despair. He fell to the lowest depths and rose again with new vitality. He sacrificed everything for his club. He could smell the sweet cherry blossoms that grew next to the tennis courts when he kissed Fuji. Everything, everything was amazing, especially his most tender love that burned in his chest with remarkable intensity.

He realized that it was never truly gone. It would always be there. It was only the beginning.

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OMAKE: Just for fun…

"Inui, you have your video camera, right?" Fuji asked, an amused smile curling across he face as he sat on the floor and looked up at the computer screen. Inui opened the web and nodded.

"Yes. I have the ultimate data." Inui's smile widened.

"That's—" Fuji stood up and looked at the screen, but nearly fell over in the process.

Just past the homepage on the popular video website, youtube was a video uploaded by Datamaster. "Legendary Rock, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Smiles."

Listed below were the videos statistics; over two million hits.

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Author's Note: I really hope that I wasn't the only one who assumed things when I saw that Inui had a video camera in hand when he commented on Tezuka being naïve. Well, it's only an interpretation. I hope you enjoyed it! 


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